Happiness-Only-Knows-How-To-SmileReality Is Broken.1 That’s the name of the book I’m currently reading.  In it Jane McGonigal, Director of Game Research and Development at the Institute for the Future, proposes that games can actually change the world. I came across Ms. McGonigal through a TedTalk2 link in one of my gamification certification courses and that led me to her book.

 

In Chapter 5, Stronger Social Connectivity, Ms. McGonigal discusses the work of Chris Bateman, a philosopher, game designer, and author. Mr. Bateman has developed a list of the Top Ten Videogame Emotions3 and I was struck by how relevant they were to employee engagement.  You can read about each of these emotions using the link above. For this post, I’ll spotlight the emotion I found most interesting: Naches.

 

Number 8 on the list is “Naches, a Yiddish word for the bursting pride we feel when someone we’ve taught or mentored succeeds.” 4 While I had not heard this word before, I am very aware of this emotion…and seemingly addicted to achieving it. Is naches an emotion you’ve experienced?  I hope so!

 

Part of a manager’s responsibility is to develop his or her direct reports. To do that effectively, you have to know your direct reports’ goals, skill levels, and motivations. Managers should help employees discover what they can accomplish. Sometimes, it would be faster to just tell someone how to do something but it is more effective to provide context and then get out of the way.  After all, there is more than one way to go about a task. People enjoy challenges and I’ve often been amazed at the outcomes. At the worst, the employee will come back to you to discuss the problem they are having thus allowing you to gently point them in a direction or provide them with further context. Regardless, they are learning and growing in their current role. The result for the employee may be increased self-esteem, formal recognition from their coworkers and/or senior management, awards, scholarships, a promotion, etc.

 

The result for their manager is naches and it is powerful. Having a direct positive impact on someone else’s life or work is rewarding because you know that you played a part. Keep in mind, the employee may not formally recognize your role in their success and that is fine.  Naches isn’t about receiving recognition; it is about the internal feeling of “bursting pride.”

 

Most people think that employee engagement is a one way street.  Naches proves that your employee engagement efforts can directly benefit you as a manager as well.

 

In what ways are you able to experience naches? What suggestions can you share on ways to help fellow Agents experience more naches?

 

 

1 McGonigal, Jane. (2011) Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World. New York: The Penguin Press.

2 McGonigal, Jane. (2010, March). Gaming can make a better world [Video file]. Retrieved from http://new.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world

3 Bateman, Chris, “Top Ten Videogame Emotions,” Only A Game, April 9, 2008,  http://onlyagame.typepad.com/only_a_game/2008/04/top-ten-videoga.html

4 McGonigal, Reality Is Broken, 87.

 

 

P.S. – First time here? Welcome to the Agent In Engagement site. Thanks for taking the time to stop by!  I hope you’ll explore the rest of the site. Let me know what employee engagement topics interest you.

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Let’s Get Engaged!

I’m Agent in Engagement Simpson…Gregory Simpson.

As an Agent in Engagement, my mission is to help companies and their employees succeed by focusing on how frontline and middle managers engage, manage, and develop their direct reports.

After years in the field, the consulting field, where I created award-winning employee engagement work for Fortune 150 clients, I’m looking forward to returning to headquarters where I’ll to continue to battle every company’s greatest nemesis, employee disengagement.

 

I’m excited about this opportunity to connect with fellow “Agents.” Subscribe to the RSS Feed to receive the latest updates and/or register  to comment on posts.

You can follow me @agtinengagement, email me at g…@a…t.com or learn more about me at www.gregoryfsimpson.com.